


home we brought you, shoulder-high.

by Samsonet



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21894751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samsonet/pseuds/Samsonet
Summary: Leon visits home to spend time with his little brother.
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Hop (Pokemon)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 145





	home we brought you, shoulder-high.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from A. E. Houseman's "To an Athlete Dying Young."
> 
> it's an angsty poem but not an angsty story. sorry about that aksjfkjsd

When Leon gets off at the station, he’s swarmed. 

Any other day, he’d spend some time with fans, but today he waves and passes through as politely as possible. Right now, he’s only looking for one person.

“Lee!”

Hop comes running, and Leon opens his arms to catch him.

It’s been so long since he got to hold his brother. Leon allows himself to savor the moment, squeezing tight, then picks Hop off the ground and starts carrying him along the path. (He’s going to use his strength and their height difference as much as he can before Hop grows too big for it.)

“Hahaha, Lee! Put me down!”

“Nope! I missed you too much, little bro!” One foot in front of the other — hey, should he stop by the lab? — no, wait, there was something he needed to give to Gloria’s mum — wait, where was he going again? “Besides, I need you to be my navigator. Can’t have us getting lost on the way home, right?”

Hop laughs. “Okay, then. Go forward!”

And really, Leon _should_ be able to walk the straight path to his house, but. Well. If it’s not about battles, his mind just can’t seem to hold onto information. He’s really glad Hop doesn’t have that problem.

“Gloria really wanted to meet you, but she an’ her mum are in Hulbury for something, so she’s not here — why are you turning that way? Our house is this way! — She said she’s sorry about that.”

“Well, tell her that it’s okay and I’ll meet her next time.” Leon moves Hop onto his right arm, so he can use his left to ruffle his brother’s hair. “Unless you don’t _want_ me to meet your _giiiirlfriend._ ”

“ _She’s not my girlfriend!_ ”

*

When they get home, Hop has to unlock the door.

“Mum and everyone had errands,” he explains. “They’ll be back soon, though. Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay.” It’s not fair for Hop to have to apologize for everyone, really — and Leon winces when he thinks about Hop having to apologize because of _Leon’s_ absences. “Have you had lunch yet?”

“I had a sandwich earlier.”

“Got it. Let me know if you get hungry later, alright?”

Leon hangs his cape on the coat hook. It immediately falls off, piling on the ground. He and Hop stare at it for a moment, then break out laughing.

He’ll leave it there for now. It’s too heavy to be wearing around the house.

Hop is still standing in the hallway, looking at him and not saying anything. Leon sort of wishes he would suggest _something_ , but Leon’s the adult and the visitor, so he supposes Hop is just being polite by letting him get comfortable.

“Wanna watch a movie?”

Hop grins. “Sure!”

They decide on a Unovan action movie, one of the Brycen-Man series’s many parts. Leon pulls it up on the TV with his streaming account while Hop makes the popcorn.

They settle down on the couch, Leon with his arm around Hop and Hop leaning into him.

The story in the movie is pretty straightforward. Good vs evil, a twist about the villain being the hero’s mentor. The story outside the movie is more interesting to Leon.

“Would you believe that Brycen-Man is a gym leader in real life?” he asks, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl Hop is holding.

“Really? He doesn’t look like a gym leader.”

“No, it’s true! Unova’s league is different from ours, their gym leaders have a lot of free time.”

Hop wipes his greasy fingers on his pants and pulls out his phone. “...Huh. His name is Brycen in real life?”

“Yeah, their gym leaders are… characters.”

(Onscreen, Brycen-Man throws a car at the heroine. “You can not defeat me! You are nobody! A bug under my shoe!”

Lucario-Girl dodges, jumping up and aiming a kick. “I’m Lucario-Girl, of Castelia City! And I fight for justice!”)

“Hey, the actress who plays Lucario-Girl is the champion!”

That makes Leon double-take. “What?”

Hop holds up his phone. It’s a news article from a few years ago. It has a picture of Champion Iris and the actress (Rosa, the paper calls her), standing outside the league.

“Rosa beat the champion a while ago. That makes her the new champion, right? Did you know about that?”

“Oh.” Leon rests his cheek on Hop’s head. “No, Iris is still the champion. In most regions, it’s an appointed position. Just ‘cause you beat the old champion, it doesn’t make you the new champion.”

“I see.”

“I’d still like to battle her someday, though. She seems pretty strong. I wonder which of us would win.”

Maybe it’s a bit unfair to talk like that, because he knows what Hop is going to say. That doesn’t mean Leon doesn’t want to hear it.

Sure enough, Hop tosses his phone aside, curls his legs up on the couch, and says: “You’d win, of course! You’re the unbeatable champion!”

It’s a title Leon hears all the time, but hearing Hop say it? That makes him feel so proud. It’s a wonderful feeling, knowing that the little brother he loves so much still thinks the world of him.

Leon pulls Hop into his lap and wraps his arms around him. Hop groans, good-naturedly, and tells him not to spill the popcorn.

“I love you so much, you know that?”

Hop gives a cheeky grin. “I know.”

“Hey, you’re supposed to say ‘I love you’ back!”

“I know!”

“I’ll tickle you. Do you want me to tickle you?”

His brother laughs and rests against Leon’s chest. “I love you, Lee.”

The movie continues. Leon lets himself relax.

It’s good to be home.


End file.
